Shooting indoors with a 580EX

[sheryl_bury_michals]

I have a Canon 30D and use a 580EX flash for indoor pictures. The red-eye (as

in no-red-eye)feature is on, so I don't have too much of a problem with that.

 

I'm doing a shoot for an alderman candidate, and a lot of the events are

indoors (Bars, restaurants, or private residences). Sometimes the pics look

fine, other times the people look good, but there are shadown in the background

(which I end up fixing/tweaking in PS CS), if the lighting's bright, dim, etc.

Sometimes I even get "flash" or lgiht fixture reflections that appear on

windows that open(no curtains).

 

Because I never know what the lighting will be, what advice can you all give on

shooting indoors with a flash. I've not a whole lot of experience in this, so

it is a learning process - ths campaign is a good run (fortunately, the

candidate is a friend, and those of us in his campaign are volunteers, so

there's no hard demands on shots, etc.).

 

I've read about a Stofen Omnibounce - how does that work, would that be useful,

or would I need to get a second flash.

 

I tend to like to keep everything compact (bodies, lenses, etc.), in a photo

backpack, so I'm also looking to keep things portable without bringing a ton of

stuff (I travel via public transportation here in Chicago, sometimes via cab).

A lot of times I'm in tight quarters during the shooting, so I may not have the

space I need to get a perfect shot, so that is another factor as well.

 

Any advice would be appreciated. I've read several forums on lighting, but am a

wee bit overwhelmed with info overload (although it is VERY GOOD INFO!!).

 

many thanks,

 

sheryl

[sattler123]

Sheryl, bounce the flash off a ceiling - if the ceiling is not too high - that should eliminate the shadows you are getting and will give your pictures a more natural feel - nu burnt-out highlights, etc.

[ronaldo_r]

"...The red-eye...feature is on..."

 

Huh? Sounds like you have no idea how to use your 580

[michael_madio]

1) Get a flash bracket (e.g. Stroboframe Camera Flip)

 

2) Use bounce flash + white card (Flip-It is a commercial version of this, ableit a bit better too)

 

3) Drag the shutter (search on this technique)

[sheryl_bury_michals]

Juergen - the ceilings at the last shoot were about 13 feet high (it's a vintage brownstone I was in). I did try bouncing off it a bit or off a higher part of the wall that was behind the people I was shooting, but then the peope would appear underexposed. Also, the owner of the place had lots of recessed (spot) lights all throughout her ceilings, which I found didn't help things while shooting.there were also a lot of closeup shots involved as well.

 

Ronaldo - I've had the red-eye feature off as well at times with the flash, with the same effect.

 

Michael - I'll look into the Strobrame Camera flip (I assume B&H has it) and research this idea of dragging the shutter(on this site).

 

thanks

[sheryl_bury_michals]

any advantage of the Stroboframe over the DembPro or Stofen Omnibounce (which look a tad more portable). I'vce heard good and bad reviews on the Stofen, not much on the DembPro. Looked at both sites (via weblinks from other forums)to get more info on the equipment.

 

Stroboframe makes sense, but seems a tad cumbersome....?

 

sheryl

[ronaldo_r]

"...Stroboframe over the DembPro or Stofen Omnibounce..."

 

Sheryl, I don't think there's a universal recipe. You need to be aware of all techniques and then use the one that fits your vision at the time of each shot. E.g, sometimes a direct bounce off a wall will provide the directional light you're after, sometimes it's the white card with a bit from the ceiling, sometimes no flash at all, etc... Otherwise all photos would look the same and boring

[michael_madio]

Sheryl,

 

Get a flash bracket regardless. Admittedly, it can be a bit cumbersome, but it's worth it as it puts the flash directly over the lens (no side shadows when shooting in portrait orientation), reduces red-eye (distance between the flash and lens), and puts shadows directly behind and below the subject (shadows practically disappear).

 

Regarding the omni-bounce, I generally don't like it and it won't really help unless you have something to bounce from (ceiling, walls, etc.). Some love it, so to each their own.

 

The Demb device is good if you have a venue suitable for bounce (relatively low, white ceiling). If in a venue as you described with dark ceilings, at close range (< 10'), a full bounce device like the Lumiquest Pocket Bounce is good. At longer range, direct flash is your best bet.

 

Just getting the flash on a bracket and dragging the shutter can dramatically improve your work. If the venue is suitable, bounce flash (add Flip-It or White index card) can make for a softer light.

[picturesque]

You can also use the Demb Diffuser in venues where there aren't any good bounce surfaces. The Demb Diffuser and Lighsphere (not so much the OmniBounce) can be used without a bracket and in some good bouncing situations, you will not see side shadows. In situations where there are less good bouncing surfaces, you will see a side shadows with verticals, although the shadows will be dropped a little lower.

 

More important than bouncing and light modifiers is understanding how to get the best out of your flash and camera. Information can be overwhelming but it is crucial to your understanding of how to do the above. Read the article at the following site--planetneil.com, under Techniques, the article on using on-camera flash. It is easy to read and extremely useful. Then read photonotes.org/eos flash--a long article but well worth digesting. Then do research on 580EX/20/30D exposure on these forum. Lots of info--especially in the Canon and Wedding forums. Also research the use of modifiers. Again, lots of info in those forums. The OmniBounce is my least favorite modifier, although it has it's uses. One thing to remember is that no modifier is perfect, and there is no such thing as a "set and forget" control when it comes to using flash on a digital, or when it comes to a modifier (none will do everything, including replace off camera lighting).

[sheryl_bury_michals]

Thanks to all for the sage advice!

 

after reading all the posts, what I've decided to do is get the flash bracket and either the Dempro or Stofen Omnibounce, just to see how each works for different room lighting conditions. I know it'll be an improvement over what I had in the last shoot.

 

as of late, the shoots I've been doing have been in real tight quarters, with little room to move around, much less have extra equipement with me. So a smaller device such as the Dembpro or Omnibounce may come in handy. The flash bracket's an inevitability - I've seen other photographers use them at event's I've been to, and it's great.

 

sheryl